Michael Kors Collection

Michael Kors is always precise in his use of celluloid inspiration. This season, it was love stories: The Great Gatsby, The Graduate, and, of course, Love Story itself. That gave the designer another opportunity to indulge his Ali MacGraw obsession in the womenswear, but the men were more done-up than one remembers Ryan O'Neal ever being.

Kors said his L.A. store has given him invaluable insight into the craving young guys feel for a more formal approach to getting dressed. So even though there was plenty of collegiate layering here, the Kors man was never less than immaculate. Shirts came with big, fat seventies ties, and the footwear of choice was cordovan bootsno sneakers for these college boys.

At one point, Kors paired a velvet jacket, treated with metal to give it a worn effect, with a denim shirt and gray flannel pinstriped trousers. The resulting mixDressed-down smart? Dressed-up casual?epitomized the spirit of his menswear this season.